The young Dockers were back in cup action against Great Wakering FC.
The Dockers went into the game with injuries to key players and were only able to field 12 fully fit players which included coach, George Young. It was great to see keeper Dean Driscoll back in action after being out for 10 months through injury.
The game started at a frantic pace with both teams threatening without causing either goalkeeper real concern. The chance went to Tilbury with young Danny Aldwinckle shooting wide from close range. Seconds later, Bradley Ross went close. After further pressure the Dockers went ahead from a corner with Jake Pooley latching onto a loose ball. The goall seemed to upset the home side and it took some time for them to settle and to try to gain some control. Both teams were trying to establish a foothold and the midfield battle was fierce with both Ryan Blackman and Lee Jacobs competing for everything. With the pace of Luke Pitty & Joe Paxman, Tilbury started to exploit their opponents in wide areas with chances falling to Pitty, Paxman and Aldwinckle. It was some swift wing play which had allowed leading goal scorer Bradley Ross to put the Dockers two up on halftime.
In the second half, the Dockers were dominant and the back four of Christou, Pooley, Keiller and Leech dealt with everything that Great Wakering had to offer. The third and killer goal come form a great Ryan Blackman free kick were Pooley headed home for his second of the game. In the final 20 minutes of the game, Tilburys work rate and effort started to have a negative impact on some of the young players including Joe Paxman who struggled to shake off a knock. With fifteen minutes remaining, experienced coach George Young replaced Lee Jacobs and the Dockers held firm to run out comfortable winners.

Mick Jacobs quoted:
“It was great to come here and get a result with a slightly weakened team on the back of two home draws. The pre-match preparation was the worst it could have been with players dropping out at the last minute. I have to give credit to my players who played today as they gave us everything they had. It was good to see Dean back in action after such a long time out and he didn’t look like he had been away. I did slightly worry when we had to send on George Young but to give him credit he followed the strict instructions he was given and behaved himself. Well done to the lads for a great performance."